This spring, McLean’s College and Career Center, with college and career counselor Mary Barnes at its helm, is hosting a number of events and opportunities for juniors and seniors with the aim to prepare them for college, and inform them of important things to know prior to entering their lives after high school. In the spring, the center primarily works with seniors going to college and internships, before switching to juniors and their application process.
“At the end of the year, I’m focused a lot on the Highlander Internship Program— getting as many of the seniors out to have real world experiences,” Barnes said. “We’re going through applications now and then they will be out on their internship.”
Seniors will be in their internships May 13th-24th, and the morning of convocation on May 31st, they will present what they’ve learned from their experiences in a science fair type of setup.
“All juniors are invited to come see it so they’ll know what to do for the following year,” Barnes said. “I would like to see more juniors go because it’s important for them to know what questions to ask.”
On Thursday April 25, the center is hosting a field trip to Northern Virginia Community College’s (NOVA) Annandale campus for seniors planning to attend.
“We are taking them so that they have an idea of what to expect and where things are,” Barnes said. “And helping as many of the students headed to NOVA not only to apply, but to actually register for classes.”
The College and Career Center aims to assist McLean students in laying out their path after high school. As a resource room, students can go any time and ask questions, as well as read Barnes’ weekly newsletter on Friday nights. The newsletter gives information about events, scholarships, summer opportunities and financial aid, and is an easy resource for students.
“[The College and Career Center] is useful because they hosted a bunch of college visits for the admissions reps,” senior Lainey Mallard said. “It was nice to meet the reps for certain colleges that I wanted to apply to.”
